Prepaid into poverty? Exploring energy poverty and access to alternative electricity sources among urban poor households in Ghana

Access to energy is linked to poverty reduction and economic growth. However, electricity access rates in Africa have been very low despite recording progressive declines of people without access over the past decade. To achieve SDG 7, there is a need to provide electricity to people without access, the majority of whom live in Africa. Prepaid metering, being implemented in many African countries, is anticipated as a system to enhance electricity access and to ensure revenue is recovered successfully. In spite of the rapid urbanisation rate on the continent, there has been lack of research focus on electricity access in urban poor communities. The paper critically expands the simple binary measure that narrowly scrutinises urban poor communities' connection to the electricity grid or not by providing a framework to address and define energy access. It further examines residential prepaid electricity access in the urban context and more importantly, it does so in the advent of the geopolitical and economic crisis resulting from the COVID19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. Using qualitative data from 85 interviewees in Kumasi-Ghana, findings show that although households are connected to the national electricity grid, reliability, adequacy, availability and affordability remain obstacles preventing utilisation, meaning households resort to alternative fuel sources that are generally regarded as environmentally damaging and harmful. It is envisioned that the findings would be pertinent for policy makers and stakeholders working to achieve Sustainable Development Goals related to improving the lives of the urban poor (SDG 7 and 11).